The secret behind making remarkable meals isn’t really a secret at all. It’s all about good ingredients, good recipes and preparing everything by hand with care, just like you would at home. If you need proof, here’s the recipe for our Lamb Tagine. John, from the Brand Team in the COOK Office, tried it at home recently.

Homemade:

Cost: £30.47.

I shopped at Waitrose in January 2019, and that’s not including cumin, chickpeas, oil, honey, seasoning or tomato puree, which I had in the cupboard. Quite a few spices were left over, so it would cost a bit less to make next time, but the lion’s share was the lamb (which I diced myself from a half-leg as pre-diced leg of lamb would have cost more).

Taste: The spice blend was a bit off. I couldn’t find Black Cardamom at the big local supermarket and I was reminded that ‘1tsp’ means one level teaspoon. Oops. But, all in all, not at all bad for a first attempt. A 7/10, I’d say.

The Recipe: Serves 4 (and, obviously, freezes well!)

Ingredients:

4tbsp rapeseed oil

2 medium onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

560g leg of lamb, diced

1tsp cayenne pepper

1tsp paprika

1tsp ground cumin

1tsp black cardamom

2 heaped tsp ras el hanout

12 pitted prunes, chopped

1 tin chopped tomatoes

4tsp tomato purée

½ tin chickpeas

450ml lamb stock

360ml water

2 tbsp sugar (or honey)

1 bay leaf

1tsp dried mint

2tsp cornflour

2 cinnamon sticks

salt to taste flaked almonds, to serve

Method:

1. Heat 4tbsp of rapeseed oil in a non-stick pan with a lid. Add the diced lamb and brown the meat. Remove the meat and put to one side. Turn down the heat and add the finely chopped onion and garlic to the pan. Cook gently until soft (but not browned).

2. Measure out the spices and add to the pan. Cook over a low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Then add the chopped prunes, tomatoes, tomato purée, chickpeas, lamb stock, water, sugar, bay leaf, mint, cinnamon stick, cornflour and a pinch of salt. Return the lamb to the pan and give it a good stir.

3. Cover and simmer over a low heat for two hours – or cook in the oven at 150°c / 130°c (fan) / gas 2 – until the meat is lovely and tender, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add a splash of water if it looks dry. Fish out the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and garnish with flaked almonds before serving.

It begins with diced leg of lamb, braised for a few hours. Then garlic and onions are fried with Ras el Hanout, along with some other spices. Ras el Hanout – which translates as ‘Head of the Shop’ or ‘Best in the Shop’ – is a mixture of more than a dozen spices that gives Moroccan cuisine its distinctive flavour

For the sweetness, we use prunes that have soaked in water to rehydrate them. We save the liquid for the sauce, so none of their flavour is wasted

AT COOK WE USE THE SAME INGREDIENTS YOU WOULD USE AT HOME.

We never put additives or preservatives into our food. We do occasionally use kitchen cupboard ingredients that include some additives in their sub-ingredients (for example Worcestershire Sauce used in our Spaghetti Bolognese, which contains Tamarind Extract). If you’d like to find out more about our ingredients, click here

At our kitchen, we prepare food by hand using the same ingredients and techniques you would at home. We then freeze our meals at -35°C so it tastes freshly made when you cook it at home (no nasty additives or preservatives required). Most of our food can be heated from frozen (sometimes in minutes in your microwave). Check the instructions below.

These cooking instructions are only a guide. Your appliance may have a personality of its own (or a different power rating). Please adjust accordingly.

serves 1

Oven:

Pre-heat oven. Remove sleeve, pierce film. Place onto a baking tray in the centre of the oven.

Oven Settings

Fan 160°C,
Electric 180°C,
Gas Mark 4.

30-35 mins

Allow to stand for 1 min. Stir well before serving.

Microwave:

Remove sleeve, pierce film. Place on microwaveable plate. Cook on full power.

850W

4 mins > stir well & re-cover > 1 min

Allow to stand for 1 min. Stir well before serving.

Extra Warnings:

Although every care has been taken to remove all prune stones, some may remain. Steam may be released when removing film lid. Although every care has been taken to remove all nut shell, some may remain.

serves 2

Oven:

Pre-heat oven. Remove sleeve, pierce film. Place onto a baking tray in the centre of the oven.

Oven Settings

Fan 160°C,
Electric 180°C,
Gas Mark 4.

35-40 mins

Allow to stand for 2 mins. Stir well before serving.

Microwave:

Remove sleeve, pierce film. Place on microwaveable plate. Cook on full power.

850W

5 mins > stir well & re-cover > 3 mins

Allow to stand for 2 mins. Stir well before serving.

Extra Warnings:

Although every care has been taken to remove all prune stones, some may remain. Steam may be released when removing film lid. Although every care has been taken to remove all nut shell, some may remain.

serves 4

Oven:

Pre-heat oven. Remove sleeve, pierce film. Place onto a baking tray in the centre of the oven.

Oven Settings

Fan 160°C,
Electric 180°C,
Gas Mark 4.

55 mins

Allow to stand for 3 mins. Stir well before serving.

Microwave:

Remove sleeve, pierce film. Place on microwaveable plate. Cook on full power.

850W

10 mins > stir well & re-cover > 10 mins

Allow to stand for 3 mins. Stir well before serving.

Extra Warnings:

Although every care has been taken to remove all prune stones, some may remain. Steam may be released when removing film lid. Although every care has been taken to remove all nut shell, some may remain.

serves 8

*NOT SUITABLE FOR MICROWAVES*OVEN COOK
FROM FROZEN

Oven:

Pre-heat oven. Remove sleeve, pierce film. Place onto a baking tray in the centre of the oven.

Oven Settings

Fan 170°C,
Electric 190°C,
Gas Mark 5.

65 mins

Allow to stand for 5 mins. Stir well before serving.

Extra Warnings:

Although every care has been taken to remove all prune stones, some may remain. Steam may be released when removing film lid. Although every care has been taken to remove all nut shell, some may remain.

Please Note: The details above are correct as of 19 March 2019 but as we are constantly improving our recipes it is essential to check the label on the packaging.